NEW FACES

• Mona Movafaghi and Christina Simpson joined Drummond Woodsum’s new immigration practice group.

Movafaghi has 20 years of experience practicing immigration law and was most recently with the firm Wiggin & Nourie in Manchester, N.H.

Simpson is a 2009 graduate of Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law and has practiced immigration law since. She was previously an immigration paralegal and can speak French and Spanish fluently. 

• Teresa Thompson and Rachael Billings joined Bangor Savings Bank’s Northgate/Allen Avenue branch in Portland.

Thompson was named branch manager. She has more than 25 years of experience in the banking industry and in sales in Greater Portland.

Billings, of Gray, was named assistant manager of the branch. She has six years of experience as a client service manager at Key Bank. 

• Maggie Drummond joined The Maine Development Foundation as program director for the Maine Employers’ Initiative. Drummond worked for the past six years at GrowSmart Maine, where she served as the policy director and later as interim president and chief executive officer. 

• Julie Short joined Winxnet as an account manager. Short recently worked as a senior national account policy administration specialist for Standard Insurance Co. 

• Tyler Johnson joined Harriman as an architectural designer. Johnson, of Portland, has more than five years of experience. He is currently working with the Oxford School District on handicapped-access upgrades and at the Sub Component Facility at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. 

• Shannon Esty joined Seacoast Law and Title in Westbrook. Esty’s practice will include real estate, estate planning, bankruptcy and family law. 

• Willette M. Elder joined Bernstein Shur’s tax, trusts and estates practice group, where she will represent individuals and businesses in taxes and estate planning. Elder, of Portland, is a 2010 graduate of George Washington University Law School and a 2011 graduate of Boston University School of Law. Elder previously clerked for the law offices of Andrew Greenspan for Nationwide Insurance in Maryland. 

• Eleanor Carolan and Ellen Vaughan joined Allen & Selig Realty of North Yarmouth and Bath as agents.

Carolan, of North Yarmouth, is a life member of the Portland Board of Realtors and has more than 30 years of experience in the industry.

Vaughan, of Monhegan Island and North Yarmouth, has more than 27 years of experience in the real estate industry and is a member of the Greater Portland Board of Realtors. 

• Scott Peters and Walter McCallister joined Town & Country Federal Credit Union as branch managers.

Peters, of Falmouth, was named manager of Town & Country’s Northgate branch in Portland. He spent the past 20 years in the industrial supply industry in sales and operations management.

McCallister, of Standish, was named manager of Town & Country’s Scarborough branch at 257 U.S. Route One. He was previously a manager at Keybank and has more than 23 years of experience in the banking industry. 

• Abbi Rusinek was hired at Demont Associates, a fund-raising consulting firm, as an associate.

Rusinek, of Yarmouth, previously worked in New York City for a Tribune-owned television station. There, she gained experience with client services and advertising sales. 

• Nolan Reichl joined Pierce Atwood LLP as associate in the firm’s litigation practice group. Reichl, of Cape Elizabeth, comes to the firm from Covington & Burling LLP in New York, where he handled civil litigation, securities litigation, e-discovery, and entertainment litigation cases. 

• Alejandro “Alex” Marchesini joined Natalie’s, the restaurant at the Camden Harbour Inn, as manager and sommelier. Marchesini most recently worked with D|R and Thompson Design Group as wine director, facilitating the creation and development of the wine list for a new “speakeasy” Wine Bar in Fort Point Channel in Boston, Mass. 

• Caitlin Thompson joined Bailey Sign Inc. in Westbrook as marketing director. Thompson has experience in graphic design and marketing. She will oversee the launch of the firm’s new website. 

PROMOTIONS

• Douglas Volk of Cumberland was recently named chief executive officer and chief operating officer of Volk Packaging Corp. in Biddeford. He has been with the third-generation family-owned business since 1974.

Derek Volk of Scarborough was named president of the company. He joined the family business in 1989. 

• Christine Hills was promoted to beverage manager at Hollywood Slots Hotel and Raceway. Hills, of Houlton, will manage all beverage operations at the casino and at the facility’s lounge, the Soundstage Lounge. Hills will also manage a team of 40 to 50 employees. 

• Catherine Ryder was named executive director of Tri-County Mental Health Services. She joined the agency 19 years ago and has been serving as interim executive director since February. Prior to that, Ryder was director of clinical services.

AWARDS

• Joel Botler, M.D., and the Geriatrics Center at Maine Medical Center were honored with the Maine Alzheimer’s Champion Award, presented by the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Botler is the medical director of adult inpatient medicine at Maine Medical Center. 

• Bedard, the only independent pharmacy in the Lewiston and Auburn area, was recognized by the Lewiston Auburn Economic Growth Council with its economic achievement award. The award is presented each year to organizations or individuals that stand out in their commitment to invest in the community and create jobs. Bedard employs 50 professionals, an increase of 44 employees since 1967. 

• Wiscasset Ford-Lincoln was awarded the 2010 Maine Auto Repair Facility of the Year Award, Dealer Division, by AAA Northern New England. The dealership scored the highest AAA customer satisfaction rating of all auto dealers with a certified AAA Approved Auto Repair shop in Maine. Wiscasset Ford-Lincoln has earned the Facility of the Year distinction due to its 98.1 percent overall customer satisfaction rating in 2010. 

• Jill Mahoney, M.D., a family physician at Southern Maine Medical Center’s PrimeCare Family Practice in Saco, was named Caregiver of the Year. Mahoney was recognized for the “outstanding care she provides to her patients, her commitment, collaborative spirit and empathy.” She joined SMMC PrimeCare five years ago. 

• Wright Express Call Center in South Portland recently made the Top 100 Call Center list after participating in the 15th annual Call Center Benchmarking Study. Wright Express ranked 20th in the smaller centers (fewer than 100 agents) category. 

• Kathy Berube, the volunteer director at Maine Medical Center in Portland, was recognized by the New England Association of Directors of Health Care Volunteer Services with its president’s award. Berube, of South Portland, was recognized for her role in developing the volunteer ambassador program. 

RECOGNITIONS

• Linda St. Clair, a business insurance specialist at Allen Insurance and Financial, was recently awarded the designation of chartered property casualty underwriter, one of the most prestigious designations in the insurance industry. The designation is held by less than 5 percent of insurance professionals.

BOARD APPOINTMENTS

• Matt Early was elected to the board of directors for the Maine Real Estate & Development Association. Early, of Scarborough, is senior vice president of the business services group at Gorham Savings Bank and has been with the bank since 2001. 

• Penni Lee, William Godbout, and Gerard Guimond were re-elected to Semiconductor of Maine Federal Credit Union’s Board of Directors. 

• Pat Weigel was elected to the board of trustees for the Western Maine Health Board. Weigel, of Falmouth, was recently named president of Norway Savings Bank. 

• The following individuals were named officers of the Maine Chapter of the Appraisal Institute:

Phil Dibiase was named president; Sandy McCallum was named vice president; Ed Jackson was named treasurer; and Donna Cavallaro was named secretary.

Caroline Parker, who is serving her third and final year, was named director. Tracy Vickerson, who is serving a second year, was also named a director. Charles Washington, who is serving his first year, was also named a director.